Genesis 3 Reflection – Michaela-Joy Frantz

Genesis 3 Reflection – Michaela-Joy Frantz

The further we go in to the Kingdom Story experience, the more I am realizing that this story itself--God's story is incredible! Dense, yet understandable; inexplicable, yet entirely relatable; unending, yet able to be discovered. It's deeper than just Gospel or Creation or Redemption alone. It's ALL of it. His story IS grace but more [...]

The further we go in to the Kingdom Story experience, the more I am realizing that this story itself–God’s story is incredible! Dense, yet understandable; inexplicable, yet entirely relatable; unending, yet able to be discovered. It’s deeper than just Gospel or Creation or Redemption alone. It’s ALL of it. His story IS grace but more than that, it is love. From cover to cover, God’s story is rich in sacrificial and constant love–onward to eternity. Behold, even now He expresses Himself to us completely, holding nothing back. In His wisdom, He allows us to take in only a little at a time in the same way a mother lets her newborn consume milk, yet as the child grows she allows him to learn how to eat solid food–meat.

It’s incredible to me that with reading the Word of God, the same exact passage (for example what we have read in Genesis 1-3) They hold both milk opportunities and meat opportunities. That being said, I’ve had my fill of milk: the rudimentary truths and facts of the chapters. I “know” all the memory facts and tidbit of information–all the milk; however, when the passage comes alive…that’s a whole different story. Then, the hunt is on.

It’s as if discovering the deep things of God is this adventure of tracking down and grabbing a hold of more than just head knowledge, and really wrestling with it, as I come to understand it with more than just my mind.

God showed me this really cool example: I just finished watching a documentary on wild animals with my family. In the show, there were snow leopards. A mom and her cub were in the mountains, and the video showed the mother providing food for her cub. At first, while the cub is still in the womb, the mother is providing absolutely bey thing for the embryo cub. He doesn’t even have the ability to know the mother is providing for him yet. He knows absolutely nothing, yet he is cared for nonetheless. When the cub is newborn, the mother feeds him milk. He is blind and helpless, completely dependent upon her. Then, the cub grows as he consumes milk and eventually is ready for meat but cannot yet hunt. His body craves and needs meat before he is even capable of hunting it himself. Eventually, the adolescent cub will accompany the mother on a hunt to learn from her. Only after that, can he hunt his own meal. He takes what he has learned and puts it in to practice. He misses. He goes hungry a few times. The mother often times will stick around, but she’s trying to teach her young hunter that he needs to go after his meal. The meal is his for the taking. He just had to pursue it relentlessly. It won’t show up on his doorstep forever. He eventually learns and masters the skill of hunting. However, with some wild animals, the families stay together regardless of age, and this continually provide for each other by means of hunting as a pack or a pride, depending on the species.

In the same way, so we grow spiritually. At first, a newborn believer may only be able to handle the facts, as they may feel shaky on their spiritual feet a bit still (picture a newborn calf standing on its legs for the first time). Eventually, as they mature spiritually (which may not have any timely structure), they are ready to receive the milk and meat of the Word, yet they may not know how to go after the deep things of God. Eventually, as they continue to mature, (which by the grace of God is a never-ending process) they get hungry, determine to hunt down and feast upon the deep things of God. Furthermore, the unification of the Body–of the Bride–coming at the end of the Age will bring about this spiritual “pride” or “pack” that is completely protected at all sides from the enemy and also completely satisfied and taken care of in regards to food. Even now, that pack exists though scattered.

As for my own life, I can look at my spiritual life and see areas where I still need milk and areas where I crave the meat of the deep things of God. There are also areas where I want the meat before I’ve learned how to chew in that area or in others I don’t want to move on to the meat because my jaw is sore or I don’t want to hunt, whether it’s dangerous, difficult, or daring (spiritual laziness or passiveness). The really cool thing about all four of these, however, is in every aspect there is room for growth. In fact, growth is necessary an essential to spiritual life, and furthermore God’s grace is ever before me, supporting that growth. And so I really CAN do all things the rough Christ who strengthens me and God really DOES work everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He is faithful.

It’s just amazing to me that three chapters in Genesis can bring about so much thought, yet I know that this isn’t the half of it yet! For now, I am “chewing” on the nice, big steak that was slapped on the table on Saturday, and I look forward to the adventure of seeking and “hunting” the deeper things of God. Because now more than ever I realize that seeking God is not just the “Christian” way, and it’s not merely a walk in the park. Seeking Him IS Life-giving. Without Him, I would starve and die spiritually and, ultimately, physically as well. Yet He provides time and time again both substance and opportunity for growth. And this is just the beginning! I can never stop hunting.